This past Saturday while enjoying a couple of beers around the bonfire after a 
day of jumping,  TD’s wife, Shannon, collapsed and went into convulsions and 
seizures.  We quickly got her to the ground and began covering her with 
blankets.  Her breathing was very labored and erratic.  We called 911 and got 
her to Mercy Hospital in Aurora as fast as we could.  Our nurse at Mercy 
Hospital just happened to be Kathy Devine.  Kathy is a skydiver here at Hinckley 
and an excellent health care professional!  Thanks for being there for us Kathy! 
 After many tests, they discovered that Shannon had blood on the brain - 
indicating the possibility of an aneurysm.  They immediately ordered a 
helicopter to transport her to the UIC Medical Center.  Apparently, UIC is a 
leader in this field and they were willing to accept Shannon’s case into this 
highly renowned ICU department.  It was midnight as we drove to the city and we 
were able to see Shannon’s helicopter fly eastbound as we were on I88.  Once we 
arrived at UIC, the team of doctors and nurses swept us into the Neurological 
ICU Conference Room and began briefing us on this increasingly grim situation.  
The staff told us that the swelling in Shannon’s brain has caused her to lose 
her most basic functions and that, while in the helicopter, they had to put her 
on a ventilator to keep her alive.  They allowed us to see her for a few minutes 
just after they put a drain tube into her head to relieve the pressure.  It was 
truly one of the hardest things for me to see.  I’m just thankful that I was 
there to help support Todd throughout all of this.  

The doctors told us about the procedure that they were prepping Shannon for.  
It’s amazing technology!  The procedure went well and they were able to repair 2 
of her 3 aneurysms.  The third will be dealt with surgically at a later date.  
In other words, they didn’t have to perform open surgery on her while she was in 
such a critical state.  That was a huge victory for her!  So, now we just wait 
it out.  I left the hospital at about 4:30pm on Sunday and grabbed some dinner 
and a much needed beer with Carolyn, Andri and Colleen.  It was nice to be out 
of the hospital for a bit.  On the way home, Todd called me to let me know that 
Shannon was making huge strides.  She had been taken off the ventilator and was 
beginning to talk.  The nurses were amazed at her recovery.  She is facing a 
long recovery from this, but it looks like she may be past the most critical 
phase. 

That’s the latest info through Sunday PM.  I am getting ready to go back to the 
hospital now.  I will continue to send updates as I get them.  For those of you 
who are looking to send flowers, please wait - Shannon is still in the ICU and 
they do not allow flowers.  For now, I would suggest sending emails to 
todd@skydivecsc.com and shannon@skydivecsc.com.  Also, if you want me to bring 
messages to her, just send them to doug@skydivecsc.com and I will print them out 
and take them to her personally or mail them to:

Shannon Davis
c/o CSC
PO Box 758
Hinckley, IL 60520
USA

Special thanks to our great staff for being there for us.  I called to check up 
on things here at the DZ on Sunday morning and Lisa, our office manager, told me 
“relax, don’t worry about anything here.  I’ll take care of everything”.  

CSC update will be a little late this week!

Douglas Smith
Chicagoland Skydiving Center
http://skydivecsc.com

jump@skydivecsc.com
815.286.9200 office
815.286.9902 fax